New Delhi: India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi September 12-13. Following is the list of prominent leaders who are scheduled to attend the mega summit.
- Xi Jinping, China (ruled by the Chinese Communist Party) — The Chinese President will attend the Summit. Xi has been president of China since 2013. He last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai. He had earlier visited Goa in 2016 to attend the BRICS summit and made his first visit to India in September 2014.
- Vladimir Putin, Russia (democratic federative law-governed state with a republican form of government) — The Russian President is attending the Summit. Counted among the world’s most powerful leaders, he has been president of Russia since 2012. Russia is also a founding member of BRICS. Putin had paid a State visit to India in December 2025 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.
- Narendra Modi, India (democracy) — Modi has been in office since 2014, and his third successive term as a Prime Minister began in 2024. India is a founding member of the BRICS and has previously held its chairship three times, in 2012, 2016 and 2021. India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1. The year 2026 also marks a milestone as BRICS completes 20 years since its establishment.
- Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa (democracy) — The President of South Africa is attending the BRICS Summit. Following the 2024 national and provincial elections, he was re-elected as president in June 2024. After South Africa’s first democratic elections on 27 April 1994, he had become a Member of Parliament and was elected as Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly. As president, he visited India in January 2019 as a State Guest of Honour for the 70th Republic Day celebrations.
- Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran (theocratic system of government with the Supreme Leader being the highest authority) — The Iranian President is attending the Summit. He has been the president of Iran since 2024. His participation in the Summit comes amid the ongoing situation in West Asia, and his visit is expected to be keenly watched, both in New Delhi and Washington.
- Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt (Arab Republic) — The President of Egypt will attend the Summit. He paid a State visit to India from in January 2023, and was also the Chief Guest at the 74th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. President Sisi has previously visited India in October 2015 to participate in the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit and in September 2016 on a State visit.
- Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia (republic) — The Indonesian President will be attending the Summit. His visit to New Delhi also emphasises the bilateral partnership, and the civilisational ties between India and Indonesia which go back thousands of years. President Prabowo had visited India in 2025 and was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations. Modi last visited Indonesia in July 2026.
- Abiy Ahmed Ali, Ethiopia (multi-party federal democracy) — The Prime Minister of Ethiopia is attending the Summit. He became Prime Minister in April 2018.
- Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia (Parliamentary Democracy with Constitutional Monarchy) — The Prime Minister of Malaysia will be participating in the Summit.
- Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia (monarchy) — The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be attending the Summit.
- Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE (constitutional federation of seven emirates) – The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is attending the Summit. The Crown Prince had visited India in February 2026, to participate in the AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi. He also visited India in September 2024.
- Mauro Vieira, Brazil (Federative Republic) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil is attending the Summit. India and Brazil share a strong commitment to advancing cooperation across the Global South.
Other leaders who will be participating in the Summit include Vice President of Uganda Jessica Alupo; Vice President of Nigeria Sen. Kashim Shettima; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov; Prime Minister of Vietnam Le Minh Hung; and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to a list shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.
It emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
In a media statement, the MEA had said India’s BRICS chairship is guided by the theme: ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, reflecting Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of ‘Humanity First’.
PTI
